Kingsway Infants' School

Kingsway Infant School North Approach, Watford WD25 0ES

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils’ achievement in Years 1 and 2 is now good; increasingly effective teaching and more rigorous assessment have ensured more rapid progress and a steady upward trend in results at the end of Year 2.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Good support for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, particularly the effective deployment of teaching assistants and other support staff, has a positive impact on their progress.  Pupils for whom the school receives additional funding do as well as the others because the money is well spent.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils are safe and behave well in lessons and around the school.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The monitoring of teaching and learning and the management of teachers’ performance are effective.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Senior leaders and governors are relentlessly focused on improving pupils’ achievement and their efforts continue to show success.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Although the overall profile of teaching is good, with some that is outstanding, a small pocket of less effective teaching remains to be addressed.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Insufficient priority is given to the quality and presentation of pupils’ written work.  There is a lack of rigour in the recording and analysis of information relating to some aspects of pupils’ behaviour and personal development.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 16 lessons, of which four were joint observations with senior leaders.  Meetings were held with a group of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body, the school’s middle and senior leaders and with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 26 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View).  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a range of school documentation including records of the monitoring of teaching, the school improvement plan, records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding and extracts from the school’s tracking of pupils’ progress. A scrutiny of pupils’ written work was also undertaken and inspectors listened to pupils reading.

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Inspection team

George Logan, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Isobel Randall Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Kingsway is a smaller-than-average infant school. Pupil numbers have risen overall, but are even higher in the current year as the school has accommodated an additional Reception class because of a shortage of school places in the local area.  The school shares a site with its partner junior school. This is inspected separately.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds. Very few pupils are at an early stage of learning English. The school provides for a very small number of pupils of Traveller heritage.  The proportion of pupils with special educational need supported by school action is below average. However, the proportion of pupils at school action plus is slightly higher than is typically found. There are no pupils with a statement of special educational need.  The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and for whom the school receives additional income (the pupil premium) is close to the national average.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school has recently gained Healthy Schools status, the Eco Bronze Award and the Hertfordshire Quality Mark award.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Deploy the school’s effective performance management strategies to ensure that:  the quality of teaching is improved in the small proportion of less inspiring lessons where the pace of learning is slow and there is a lack of challenge, particularly for more-able pupils.  teachers have higher expectations of the presentation and quality of pupils’ written work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that there is greater rigour in the recording of information relating to behavioural issues and the support given to children whose circumstances make them vulnerable.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start in Reception with skills generally in line with those expected for their age. Almost all reach, and many exceed, the levels expected by the end of the year, so that progress is good.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment by the end of Year 2 has risen steadily in recent years and is now above average. This reflects effective interventions to raise the quality of teaching and assessment. It also reflects the school’s successful strategy to ensure that pupils have a good understanding of the sounds which letters represent (phonics). This underpins pupils’ well-established skills in reading.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 While the school enables pupils to acquire above average skills in writing, it does not set sufficiently high expectations for the quality and presentation of pupils’ written work.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school has deployed pupil premium funding to extend pupils’ cultural awareness, through individual lessons in ukulele, piano or in drama skills. Together with additional support for the development of core skills in literacy and numeracy, this has had a demonstrable, positive impact upon the achievement of pupils in receipt of free school meals.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school provides good support for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. It has implemented a range of successful interventions which meet pupils’ needs successfully.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school ensures accurate assessment of pupils’ needs, effective specialist training for teaching assistants and the holding of staff accountable for the progress pupils make. As a result, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make progress at least in line with that of the majority, and occasionally better. The few pupils of Traveller heritage are supported effectively and make progress similar to the others.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The school has worked successfully to improve the consistency of classroom practice and to ensure that teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. The impact of the level of sustained good teaching, with some that is outstanding, is reflected in the steady improvement in the progress pupils have made and the upward trend in attainment.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Despite the improvements to teaching and the demonstrable impact on pupils’ progress, a small pocket of weaker practice remains to be tackled. In addition, expectations of the quality of presentation of pupils’ written work are not yet consistently high enough.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In almost all lessons, routines are well-established and relationships are good. In an outstanding Reception physical development session, with a focus on moving and balancing, children demonstrated a very high level of engagement with the teacher. They showed maximum concentration and co-operation, so that the session progressed seamlessly and rapidly and children’s learning was excellent.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Where learning is most effective, the pace of the lesson is brisk and assessment is used well to ensure that work is matched closely to pupils’ needs and to establish what will engage their interest most successfully. This was a key strength of a Year 1 mathematics lesson where the pitch of work set was very clearly based on the teacher’s accurate evaluation of what pupils had grasped in the previous lesson. In the few less effective lessons, the pace is sometimes slow and work does not always engage or challenge the most able pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Effective learning in the Reception classes is supported by a wide range of well-planned activities. A successful induction programme has ensured that children are well prepared for school, settle quickly and sustain attention well. Effective intervention by adults ensures that children work cooperatively from the beginning, learn quickly and develop independence.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of reading, and the progress made, is good in Years 1 and 2. Pupils receive a systematic and effective grounding in recognising the sounds letters make.

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The quality of teaching is good

 There has been good progress in implementing and refining assessment practice, particularly in the use of individual targets, which was a weakness in the past. Pupils now know their targets well and these are regularly referred to in lessons. Staff generally provide guidance as to the next steps in learning when marking pupils’ work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 A key strength of the teaching is the very high level of collaborative working between teachers and the experienced support staff. These staff effectively facilitate the generally good progress of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, as well as those whose circumstances make them vulnerable or who are from a Traveller heritage.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour is good. In a few classes, particularly in the Early Years Foundation Stage, it is outstanding. Pupils show a lively enthusiasm for their learning, are well motivated and enjoy school. They show a keen interest in visiting adults. All parents and carers who expressed a view feel that behaviour is good.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 School records indicate that exclusions are rare and pupils have few concerns about behaviour. There are few recorded racist incidents or episodes of inappropriate behaviour, and significant disruption of lessons is rare. Where such incidents occur, they are managed effectively. Pupils have confidence in the adults around them.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school is an inclusive community and provides for pupils with a wide range of needs. Pupils with special educational needs or who are identified as vulnerable are supported very effectively.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 There are no current reports of bullying of any type. Bearing their age in mind, pupils are beginning to understand that bullying may take different forms, such as internet bullying, or in response to physical differences.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good understanding of risk, supported well by the school’s input on personal safety. This centres mainly on the risks associated with road safety and fire safety. Pupils are consistently careful in their use of the equipment in the adventure playground.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance, often below average in the past, has been above average in the last two years. This represents a significant improvement. Persistent absence is now rare. Parents and carers are made aware of how absence can affect their child’s progress. Pupils mostly arrive at school punctually.

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The leadership and management are good

 The management team rigorously targets identified weaknesses. Teachers’ expectations have risen and there is a trend of better learning and improving progress in all subjects. Standards in the Early Years Foundation Stage have continued to rise. All staff are commited to improving the school further. They collaborate effectively, so contributing to improved opportunities for pupils and ensuring that that pupils achieve well.

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The leadership and management are good

 School self-evaluation is accurate. The school knows itself well and has a well-judged agenda for further improvement. Monitoring and evaluation are thorough and accurate. However, targets in the the school development plan, although appropriate, are not always explicitly linked to the improvement of learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders are consistently focused on improving the quality of teaching. Performance management is thorough and all staff have good opportunities for professional development. Leaders are keen to develop staff expertise through the sharing of responsibility for the performance management process. Middle managers, including the coordinator of special educational needs, are effective and clear as to the next steps needed to secure further improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  has a thorough understanding of the school’s circumstances and have been closely involved in driving change  participates regularly in training, so building the expertise needed to challenge school leaders effectively  is well-informed about school performance data and contributes to decisions about the deployment of funding, in particular the pupil premium, to raise pupils’ achievement  ensures that safeguarding arrangements are robust and effective.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has received effective support from its local authority and other external providers in recent years.

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The leadership and management are good

 Progress since the last inspection has been good, with all issues successfully tackled. The school successfully demonstrates that it currently has good capacity to improve.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum prioritises the key areas of reading, writing and mathematics. There is good evidence of the use of these skills in subjects across the curriculum. Extra-curricular provision is good.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils’ spiritual and moral development is appropriately supported through collective worship and the religious education programme. Social development is a strength. The school prioritises the development of children’s confidence. Pupils show great assurance as they lead the daily ‘Wake and Shake’ exercise session. Cultural awareness is promoted through the curriculum, and through charitable and local church links.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pastoral records require greater precision and depth to enable school leaders to analyse patterns of behaviour and to track and evidence pupil concerns. Currently, it is difficult to track the frequency and detail of concerns raised by pupils, or to track the extent of actions taken, particularly in relation to children whose circumstances make them vulnerable.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school

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Grade Judgement Description

is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 117317 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 401662

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Infant School category Community Age range of pupils 4–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 194 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Julia Green Headteacher Caroline Tristram-Walmsley Date of previous school inspection 10 June 2010 Telephone number 01923 675005 Fax number 01923 674392 Email address admin@kingsway.herts.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille,

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School details

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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